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Ruby listened to the electric clatter of the shutter descending, and swallowed past the ball of anxiety.
Luke Devlin was not lying on a hospital slab somewhere, she told herself. He was probably on a first-class flight to New York, or negotiating some mega-deal at his luxury home in Chepstow Villas. If he didn’t show tomorrow, she could always phone his assistant Gwen, and make a polite enquiry as to his whereabouts.
She needed to start looking on the bright side again, and being practical and pragmatic and optimistic instead of heading straight to Death and Destruction Street without passing Go every time something when awry.
Not every unexpected event ends in tragedy.
She was still trying to convince herself, when the toes of a pair of work boots she recognized appeared on the pavement below the descending shutter.
‘Luke?’ She gasped, all of her fear sucked into a vortex of relief and joined by the shimmer of excitement which always sprinted up her spine when Luke arrived each morning.
‘Ruby? Hey, can you open up, I’m here to finish the moulding.’
To finish the moulding … Was he serious? In the middle of the night?
She flipped the shutter button in the opposite direction, excitement rippling across her nerve endings despite her confusion, as his long, rangy, stupidly gorgeous body – broad and dependable in shirt, jeans, T-shirt and work boots – was slowly revealed. Even backlit by the street light, he looked glorious. And upset about something, she realised as his striking face was finally illuminated by the security lighting in the lobby.
‘Luke is everything okay?’ she said as she unlocked the door and flung it open.
‘I missed our date,’ he said.
Date? What date? They’d had a date and she’d forgotten about it?
‘I should have been here …’ He tugged his phone out of his back pocket, his movements more deliberate and a little less graceful than usual. ‘Shit!’ He thrust his fingers through his hair, making the silky strands stand up in sexy tufts. ‘Ten hours ago. I’m sorry. But I can work through the night.’
Right, he was talking about their DIY date. Ruby’s excitement downgraded a notch. But her relief he was not dead from an undiagnosed heart condition was still palpable. Add that to the common or garden sizzles that always occurred whenever Luke was in the building and Ruby was dangerously on edge.
‘You don’t have to do that Luke, it’s okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
She should get him to leave, before her need got the better of her again and she started to beg.
‘But I want to do it, for you,’ he said. His hand lifted and he cupped her cheek. ‘Jesus, you’re so beautiful.’
‘I am?’ she choked. Then wanted to slap herself.
Way to sound like you’re shamelessly fishing for a compliment, Rubes.
‘Yeah, how come you don’t know that?’ he said, the rough calluses stroking her skin making the sizzles become seismic waves. ‘Surely a ton of guys must have told you that already?’
‘Well, not exactly a ton,’ she said, seamlessly switching from shameless to coy.
He lifted his other hand to cradle her face and hold it steady, his wild blue eyes so full of sexual promise she thought her knickers might actually explode.
‘Can I kiss you?’ he murmured, his breath skimming over her lips as he lowered his head. ‘Watching Jake and Heath go for it last week with you sitting right next to me squirming got me so hot. Tasting you is all I’ve been thinking about ever since.’
Tasting you?
Wait a minute. Who were Jake and—? Oh, goodness, Brokeback Mountain.
Embarrassment scorched her cheeks.
So, he’d felt her squirming while they’d watched Jack and Ennis finally release all of their pent-up passion in that pup tent. But the rush of mortification was swift and short-lived.
Had he just said it had made him hot, too?
He had, he definitely had.
The kissing action in that film was so passionate and so urgent. But not as passionate and urgent as the intent in Luke’s for once unguarded gaze as he searched her face waiting for her permission.
